Developing Item Response Theory–Based Short Forms to Measure the Social Impact of Burn Injuries

Moderation Effects of Daily Behavior on Associations Between Symptoms and Social Participation Outcomes After Burn Injury: A 6-Month Digital Phenotyping Study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the moderation effects of daily behavior on the associations between symptoms and social participation outcomes after burn injury.

DESIGN

A 6-month prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four adult burn survivors.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Symptoms and social participation outcomes were assessed weekly using smartphone surveys, including symptoms of pain (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS] Pain Intensity and Pain Interference), anxiety (PROMIS Anxiety), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire), as well as outcomes of social interactions and social activities (Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation [LIBRE] Social Interactions and Social Activities). Daily behaviors were automatically recorded by a smartphone application and smartphone logs, including physical activity (steps, travel miles, and activity minutes), sleep (sleep hours), and social contact (number of phone calls and message contacts).

RESULTS

Multilevel models controlling for demographic and burn injury variables examined the associations between symptoms and social participation outcomes and the moderation effects of daily behaviors. Lower (worse) LIBRE Social Interactions and LIBRE Social Activities scores were significantly associated with higher (worse) PROMIS Pain Intensity, PROMIS Pain Interference, PROMIS Anxiety, and Patient Health Questionnaire-8 scores (P<.05). Additionally, daily steps and activity minutes were associated with LIBRE Social Interactions and LIBRE Social Activities (P<.05), and significantly moderated the association between PROMIS Anxiety and LIBRE Social Activities (P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Social participation outcomes are associated with pain, anxiety, and depression symptoms after burn injury, and are buffered by daily physical activity. Future intervention studies should examine physical activity promotion to improve social recovery after burns.

Predictors at 6 and 12 Months for Social Participation Outcome at 24 Months in the Adult Burn Injury Population: A Burn Model System National Database Study

OBJECTIVE

To identify clinical factors (physical and psychological symptoms and post-traumatic growth) that predict social participation outcome at 24-month after burn injury.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study based on Burn Model System National Database.

SETTING

Burn Model System centers.

PARTICIPANTS

181 adult participants less than 2 years after burn injury (N=181).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Demographic and injury variables were collected at discharge. Predictor variables were assessed at 6 and 12 months: Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory Short Form (PTGI-SF), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian Version (PCL-C), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29) Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Disturbance, Fatigue, and Pain Interference short forms, and self-reported Heat Intolerance. Social participation was measured at 24 months using the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Social Interactions and Social Activities short forms.

RESULTS

Linear and multivariable regression models were used to examine predictor variables for social participation outcomes, controlling for demographic and injury variables. For LIBRE Social Interactions, significant predictors included the PCL-C total score at 6 months (β=-0.27, P<.001) and 12 months (β=-0.39, P<.001), and PROMIS-29 Pain Interference at 6 months (β=-0.20, P<.01). For LIBRE Social Activities, significant predictors consisted of the PROMIS-29 Depression at 6 months (β=-0.37, P<.001) and 12 months (β=-0.37, P<.001), PROMIS-29 Pain Interference at 6 months (β=-0.40, P<.001) and 12 months (β=-0.37, P<.001), and Heat Intolerance at 12 months (β=-4.55, P<.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Post-traumatic stress and pain predicted social interactions outcomes, while depression, pain and heat intolerance predicted social activities outcomes in people with burn injury.

Item Pool Development for the School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile Computerized Adaptive Test: An Observer-Reported Outcome Assessment Measuring the Impact of Burn Injuries in School-Aged Children

The transition from early childhood to teen years (5-12) is a critical time of development, which can be made particularly challenging by a burn injury. Assessing postburn recovery during these years is important for improving pediatric survivors' development and health outcomes. Few validated burn-specific measures exist for this age group. The purpose of this study was to generate item pools that will be used to create a future computerized adaptive test (CAT) assessing postburn recovery in school-aged children. Item pool development was guided by the previously developed School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (SA-LIBRE5-12) conceptual framework. The item pool development process involved a systematic literature review, extraction of candidate items from existing legacy measures, iterative item review during expert consensus meetings, and parent cognitive interviews. The iterative item review with experts consisted of six rounds. A total of 10 parent cognitive interviews were conducted. The three broad themes of concern were items that needed 1) clarification, needed context, or were vague, 2) age dependence and relevance, and 3) word choice. The cognitive interviews indicated that survey instructions, recall period, item stem, and response choices were interpretable by respondents. Final item pool based on parental feedback consists of 57, 81, and 60 items in physical, psychological, and family and social functioning, respectively. Developed item pools (n = 198) in three domains are consistent with the existing conceptual framework. The next step involves field testing the item pool and calibration using item response theory to develop and validate the SA-LIBRE5-12 CAT Profile.

Interpreting Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile Scores for Use by Clinicians, Burn Survivors, and Researchers

The Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile is a patient-reported outcome measure developed to assess social participation in adult burn survivors. This study identified numeric score cut-points that define different levels of social participation ability and described each level. An expert panel identified numeric score cut-points that distinguish different levels of social participation for the six LIBRE Profile domains. Methods employed an iterative, modified-Delphi approach, and bookmarking to review calibrated item banks. Analyses (using calibration sample data and repeated in a validation sample) examined means, SDs, and sample distributions for each level. Analyses of variance examined score differences between levels. The panel developed descriptions for each established level. Initial cut-points resulted in four levels for five domains (Social Activities, Social Interactions, Romantic Relationships, Sexual Relationships, and Work & Employment) and five levels for the sixth domain (Relationships with Family & Friends). Comparisons demonstrated significant differences between level mean scores for all domains (P < .05) except Relationships with Family & Friends. Based on follow-up surveys, Relationships with Family & Friends score cut-points were adjusted to identify four levels with significant score differences between all levels. Panelists reached consensus for level descriptions. Score cut-points and descriptions identify different levels of social participation, providing a relevant context for interpreting LIBRE Profile numeric scores. LIBRE Profile Social Participation levels will help clinicians and persons with burn injury interpret LIBRE Profile numeric scores and promote use of this important new assessment.

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Burn Outcomes in Adult Burn Patients

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including child maltreatment and household dysfunction, define adverse events that occur before 18 years of age. National and state data show that between 12.5 and 14.5% of the adult population report ≥4 ACEs (HIGH-ACE), respectively. HIGH-ACEs are associated with more chronic health problems. To date, the interaction between ACEs and burn injuries has not been studied. Herein, we sought to define the ACE exposure in our burn patients and its impact on early outcomes. Inpatient and outpatient adult burn survivors (≥18 years of age) were enrolled. Subjects completed surveys assessing adverse experiences (ACEs-18), needs, strengths, and resiliency at consent, and pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social participation surveys at 2 weeks to 3 months postinjury. Demographics, burn, and hospital course data were also collected. Chi-square and student's t-tests were used for descriptive analysis and to compare the groups (HIGH-ACE vs LOW-ACE). The HIGH-ACE group (n = 24; 45.3%) reported more depressive symptoms (P < .04) than the LOW-ACE group (n = 29, 54.7%). HIGH-ACE patients were less resilient when facing stressful events (P ≤ .02) and more likely to screen positive for probable PTSD (P = .01) and to score lower on the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile (LIBRE Profile), which assesses for social participation, in the domain of Family and Friends (P = .015). Our exploratory study suggests that ACE screening may help detect burn patients at risk for a more complicated recovery, thereby promoting personalized assistance in recovery.

Social Participation of Burn Survivors and the General Population in Work and Employment: A Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile Study

INTRODUCTION

Work integration and retention after burn injury is a key outcome. Little is known about how burn survivors reintegrate into the workplace. This article compares scores on the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile, a burn-specific measure of social participation, between burn survivors and general population samples, focusing on the Work and Employment domain.

METHODS

Convenience samples of burn survivors and the U.S. population were obtained. Differences in demographic and clinical characteristics and LIBRE Profile scores were assessed. To examine work and employment, we compared family and friends, social activities, and social interactions scores among working vs nonworking burn survivors.

RESULTS

Six hundred and one burn survivors (320 employed) and 2000 U.S. residents (1101 employed) were surveyed. The mean age (P = .06), distributions of sex (P = .35), and Hispanic ethnicity (P = .07) did not differ significantly. Distributions of race (P < .01) and education (P = .01) differed significantly. The burn survivor sample had higher scores, demonstrating higher participation, for work and employment (mean = 49.5, SD = 9.42) than the general sample (mean = 46.94, SD = 8.94; P < .0001), which persisted after adjusting for demographic characteristics. Scores on the three domains administered to all respondents were higher (P < .001) for working than nonworking burn survivors.

CONCLUSION

Distributions indicated higher social participation in the burn survivor sample than the general sample. Possible explanations include sample bias; resilience, posttraumatic growth, or response-shift of survivors; and limitations of using items in the general sample. Working burn survivors scored higher than those not working. Future work can explore factors that mediate higher scores and develop interventions.

Reliability & validity of the LIBRE Profile

BACKGROUND

The Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile^© was developed using Item Response Theory methods to assess social participation after a burn injury. The LIBRE Profile measures six areas of social participation: Relationships with Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships. It can be administered through a computerized adaptive test or through fixed short forms. The goal of this study was to further examine the psychometric properties of the LIBRE Profile, including reliability and validity.

METHODS

We examined the validity of the LIBRE Profile by administering the six LIBRE Profile scales as well as legacy measures that assessed similar constructs. We calculated the Pearson correlations between the LIBRE Profile scales and the scores on the same-domain and cross-domain legacy measures to evaluate convergent and divergent validity. We then administered the LIBRE Profile scales a second time, seven to ten days after the first administration, to a sample of adult burn survivors to evaluate test-retest reliability. We calculated repeatability coefficients, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change to establish the threshold beyond which the amount of change observed across an episode of care cannot be explained as measurement error.

RESULTS

For reliability, the repeatability coefficients ranged from 7.31 to 9.27 and SEMs ranged from 2.62 to 3.39 for all six scales. MDC₉₀ values ranged from 6.08 to 7.86 points, and MDC₉₅ values ranged from 7.26 to 9.40 points. All correlations between the LIBRE Profile scales and legacy measures are significant (p<0.05) and in the expected directions for both convergent and divergent validity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided evidence for the reliability and validity of the LIBRE Profile, one of the first tools that measures exclusively the social participation after a burn injury.